Air Date: November 18, 2024 (Taped Nov 11)
Location: Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI
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Show Recap —
Various wrestlers were shown arriving at this taped edition of Raw (along with fake crowd noise).
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez entered. Liv welcomed us to Monday Night Morgan. She knew Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill were in the house and weren’t alone, so she didn’t come alone either. That brought out Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae.
Jax told Morgan and Rodriguez that she didn’t care about them but couldn’t stop thinking about Belair, Cargill and Naomi. Those three women entered right on cue (to more fake crowd noise). Belair said they didn’t come alone either, which brought out Iyo Sky.
Morgan noted that they were still outnumbered 5-to-4. Morgan called herself “really, really, really smart” because she knew what was about to happen and asked who would throw out the first punch.
Rhea Ripley entered (to a big reaction) wearing a protective face mask. (The announcers reminded us of her broken orbital bone.) She yelled, “War Games!” and headbutted Morgan. Morgan escaped through the crowd as Sky wiped out everyone with a moonsault outside the ring. The babyfaces stood tall.
(It often feels so phony when wrestlers parade out like this and it felt especially so here, at least until Ripley returned.)
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There was a replay of Bronson Reed joining the new Bloodline on Smackdown.
They showed a tale of the tape for Seth Rollins vs. Reed tonight.
They announced Raw at Intuit Dome for the Netflix debut on January 6th.
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Mixed tag team match: Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega defeated Chad Gable & Ivy Nile (10:00)
Nile smacked Vega before the match began. They brawled to the outside and the referee started the match with Rey and Gable in the ring. A Nile distraction allowed Gable to take over on Rey. Gable and Nile put the boots to Rey as the ref held back Vega.
Rey tagged in Vega who hit Nile with double knees in the corner for two but Nile blocked a suplex and clobbered her with a clothesline. Nile was in control through a break until Vega hit a tornado DDT.
Vega went for a tag but Gable grabbed her by the leg and the crowd booed. Vega hit an enziguri and tagged in Rey who hit a seated senton and rollup for two. Gable caught Rey out of mid-air and hit a cliffhanger DDT for two.
With Gable seated on the top rope, Rey catapulted Vega toward Gable and she brought him down with a hurricanrana. Vega dropped the top rope as Nile charged at her but Nile couldn’t make it over the top so she just sent herself out of the ring over the middle rope.
Rey followed with a springboard moonsault for a nearfall before hitting a 619 and springboard splash for the pinfall win. The crowd was happy.
— The Creed Brothers helped Gable to his feet but he pushed them away. He screamed at them that he wasn’t a loser and they shouldn’t accept this. Gable slapped Julius Creed twice to motivate him. Julius and Brutus began shoving each other to psych each other up and all four members of American Made stood tall together.
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Finn Bálor saw Morgan was clearly stressed out so he offered to take the wheel for Judgment Day tonight and she accepted. Bálor hyped up Dominik and Carlito for their match against the War Raiders.
Bálor offered advice but Dom didn’t seem interested. Bálor said he was the great Dominik Mysterio and he would figure it out either way. After Dom and Carlito left, JD McDonagh pulled Bálor aside to chat. (They added fake booing in different spots here and it felt completely out of place.)
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There was a video promo with The Miz and Final Testament. Miz had a cut on his eyelid. He said he deserved an Oscar for his performance last week, convincing the Wyatt Sicks that they could change him.
Karrion Kross said they exposed the Wyatts as wounded people using others to make themselves feel better. They were not invincible. Miz randomly started wondering who would direct his next film. Kross said he dealt the cards and the Wyatts would continue to play the game he controls.
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Gunther approached Ludwig Kaiser. Kaiser wasn’t happy about what happened last week (when Kaiser tried sticking up for Gunther but Gunther shut him down) but Gunther told him to start making a name for himself. Gunther wanted Kaiser to speak for himself and be his own man.
Before Kaiser left, Gunther asked him, “Look into my eyes, what do you see?” (A reference to Cult of Personality/CM Punk, perhaps.) Gunther asked Kaiser if he still saw the old ring general inside of him. Kaiser said, “Of course.” Gunther was happy to hear it.
Damian Priest happened to be nearby signing autographs and Gunther tried to blindside him but Priest fought him off and knocked him down. Priest told Gunther he might be a general in the ring, but on the streets, Priest was king.
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Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker defeated Sheamus via disqualification (13:33)
They were even for the first two minutes until Bron hit a leaping clothesline off the apron over the announce table.
[SECOND HOUR]
After a break, Bron knocked Sheamus down with a dive off the top to the outside. Sheamus fired up in the ring and hit a powerslam, clothesline, lifting knee, and ten beats of the Bodhrán. Sheamus followed with a diving knee drop for two. (Bron seemed out of place but because it was taped they were able to use a camera angle that didn’t quite show it.)
Bron came back with a backstabber for two. Sheamus followed with an avalanche White Noise for a nearfall. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.” Sheamus went back to the top but Bron brought him down with a Frankensteiner. Bron went for a spear but Sheamus nailed a knee strike for a nearfall.
The crowd got up as Sheamus set up for a Brogue kick but Bron cut him off with a spear. Sheamus rolled out of the ring before he could go for a cover.
Bron went for a sprinting spear around the ring but Kaiser nailed him with a clothesline for the DQ. Kaiser also kicked Sheamus into the steel steps. The crowd booed Kaiser as he stood tall on the steps.
(This was really good until the end and the crowd was very into it.)
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Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn approached Seth Rollins. Jey wanted them all, just this one time, to put their differences aside. Zayn noted that Rollins previously put their differences aside last year to team with him, Jey and even Cody Rhodes. Zayn wanted to do it one more time.
Rollins said he would stand side-by-side with Jey, Jimmy and Sami but never with Roman Reigns. It wasn’t worth Reigns being on top again. He planned on solving their Bronson Reed problem tonight and whatever happened after War Games was on them. “So good luck, but I’m out.”
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There was a Dakota Kai video package.
Women’s War Games was made official for Survivor Series: Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky and Naomi vs. Liv Morgan, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez and Candice LeRae.
Next week on Raw, Belair faces Jax with the winner earning the War Games advantage for their team.
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The War Raiders defeated Carlito & Dominik Mysterio (9:30)
Judgment Day cheated to take advantage ahead of a break. Ivar made a hot tag after the break, led the crowd in a “War” chant and hit Dom with a cannonball for two. Ivar suplexed Dom into Carlito and an apple fell out of Carlito like this was WrestleMania: The Arcade Game. They hit Carlito with War Machine for the pinfall win.
— Bálor and McDonagh attacked Erik and Ivar post-match. They specifically targeted Erik’s previously injured neck and Bálor laid him out with Coup de Grace. Judgment Day stood tall.
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Bo Dallas had a message for the Miz via VHS tape:
“The trust of the innocent is a liar’s most useful tool. We offered you salvation. Freedom from the pit. I tried to warn you. But you’ve damned yourself. I’m sorry for what happens next. You chose this. Hands will forever be blood-stained crimson scarlet red because of your actions. And you will lose what matters most. I never wanted this.”
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There was a Lyra Valkyria video package.
New Day segment
Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri ran into Kofi Kingston backstage. Dupri was excited about New Day’s 10-year anniversary but she wondered how things were between him and Xavier Woods. Kingston wasn’t sure. Woods showed up at that exact moment.
Woods was worried. They had 10 years of no serious arguments but they’ve been yelling at each other for weeks. He couldn’t stop thinking about something Karrion Kross said — that New Day was dead but they were the only ones who didn’t know it.
Kingston said they weren’t dead, they just had to remember what New Day was about. Woods seemed to take that personally but Otis stepped in before they could start arguing again.
Woods didn’t want to hear from Otis and said there was a reason Gable left their asses. Woods challenged them to a match next week and a win over them could get New Day back to where they wanted to be.
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Bronson Reed defeated Seth Rollins (17:27)
The new Bloodline, minus Solo Sikoa, showed up at ringside as soon as the match started. The Usos and Sami Zayn ran out (to Jey’s music) to take them out. The crowd popped big and kept singing Jey’s music even though they cut it off early.
Zayn and Jimmy easily got rid of Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. It took three simultaneous superkicks by the Usos to knock Jacob Fatu over the barricade. The good guys followed the Bloodline to the back and with ringside clear, Rollins hit Reed with a suicide dive.
Rollins hit chops following a break but Reed knocked him down with a body block. Reed hit a shoulder tackle off the apron and shoved Rollins into the steel steps. Rollins avoided a charge and Reed collided with the steps.
Rollins repeatedly bounced Reed’s head against the steps. Rollins tried a stomp on the steps but Reed avoided it and entered the ring. Rollins hit a springboard knee and boot but Reed remained on his feet. Reed came back with a sit-out powerbomb for two.
After a break, with Reed standing on the middle rope, Rollins slipped underneath and hit a powerbomb followed by a springboard moonsault for just a one count. Rollins hit a springboard senton, also for just a one count. Rollins superkicked him in the back of the head and hit a frog splash for two.
Reed responded with a clothesline and brainbuster for two. Reed went up for Tsunami but Rollins rolled out of the way. Reed missed a senton and Rollins followed with a superkick and Pedigree for two.
Rollins hit a curb stomp but didn’t go for a cover. He went to the top for a super stomp but stopped what he was doing upon seeing Solo Sikoa standing on the announce desk. Reed hit Rollins with a DVD, consecutive sentons and a Tsunami for the pinfall win.
Sikoa raised Reed’s hand as the show ended.
